Back to the Present

Okay, so I know I said I was going catch up over the last couple weeks, but the past 5 days have just been so wonderful I want to get his down before I forget.

So on Thursday, we finally left France and headed to Belgium.  I loved being by the ocean in Normandy and especially the things we did there (which I will describe another day), but I was ready for a new scene.  Well, I guess in Europe, the scenery doesn't change too much (not like going from Kansas to Virginia) because Belgium looked the same but not.  We stayed in a town called... well, I don't remember what it was called but that doesn't matter because the real reason we were there was to visit Bruges.  Apparently, Bruges is a UNESCO world heritage site and there was something going on while we were there, so the closest hotel we could get was 45 minutes away.

My cutie friend Kaylin at a park in "that town"

After arriving in "that town" in the afternoon, we found out there was going to be a concert right outside of our hotel.  Whooo hooo!!

.....Not.

Forgot that EVERYONE in Europe smokes and the drinking age is way lower.  It was so weird seeing these 16 years olds downing beer after beer.  My friend Lauren's room had a balcony right above the concert, and that was as close as we wanted to get.  Nasty smells coming from that square...

The next day, we went to Bruges.  Bruges is famous for its lace, its chocolate, and most importantly, its WAFFLES!!!

OH MY GOSH!!!! I cannot even describe to you how AMAZING these waffles are!!  I told you nutella crepes were heaven?  Well baby, heaven's reached a whole new level.  Breakfast has never really been my thing, and waffles even less so.  When I saw the man take a pre made waffle and just re-heat it in the iron, I was not too excited.  Oh how ignorant I was!  I wish I'd taken a video of my face on that first bite because I just wanted to die.  I know, this is hard to believe.  You may think I'm exaggerating, but I promise you, I'm not!  It took all the will power I had not to buy 4 more.

Enough about food, though.

But who am I kidding, you can never have enough of food.  Check out the chocolate!

In Bruges, we visited the City Hall, Heilig-Bloedbasiliek (Basilica of the Holy Blood), and a nunnery!

1.  The nunnery- my favorite

I know it's weird, but in another life (if I didn't have the gospel), I would've loved to be a nun.  You don't even understand how beautiful and peaceful these chapels/cathedrals/basilicas are.  I especially loved this one because not only was a nun playing the organ (beautifully), but they were burning incense.  To me, incense smells like a mixture of love and Christmas.  I love it!  The stained glass windows create a beautiful atmosphere and depict so many stories of Christ.  What better place to hang out is there?  While I have the utmost respect for the Catholic religion and the faith and inspiration they must have had to create these wonderful monuments to Christ, it seems that wherever we go, it's always only the churches that have an entrance fee, a fee to go into the crypts, and a fee even to get a history pamphlet.  I'm glad we don't do that at our visitor centers.  Also, some of the practices I've witnessed have got me a liiiiiittle skeptical...  which brings me to our next adventure!

2.  Heilig-Bloedbasiliek, or Basilica of the Holy Blood-  Most unusual thing I've seen thus far..

Outside of Heilig-Bloedbasiliek

So, this is one of the oldest churches in Europe.  You can tell by its Romanesque architecture versus the more commonly seen Gothic structures.  Compare below:

Gothic architecture- huge, vaulted ceilings, stonework, ornate stained glass...

Annnd the Romanesque- brick, bland, dark.  Not a fan.

A lot of the European cathedrals and such contain holy relics, or religious "souvenir"-like objects from the past.  I think Notre Dame had the thorn crown that Christ wore on the cross, the Chartres cathedral we visited (and I have not yet told you about) had some of the cloth that Mary wore when Jesus was born.  This basilica "said" they had a vial of Christ's blood.  I will not comment on the truth of this statement.. because I can't.  I don't know.  But the whole process of viewing it was kind of weird.

After paying to get in, we went and sat down in front of another gorgeously elaborate altar.  Music was playing, incense was burning (loved it), and then this woman priest (I swear.  It was a woman.) and another woman walked up to the alter carrying a huge golden goblet looking thing.  Then the regularly dressed woman explained to us that in the goblet was the Holy Blood of Christ and asked us to form a line, say a prayer in front of the blood, and be sure to pay an offering to the church as we left the altar.  I really wanted to go up there and check it out, but I only had a ten and the creepy looking woman priest was collecting the money and I thought it might be sacrilegious since I'm of another faith.  I don't know, it was all just really weird, and it kind of felt like idol worship.. but that's their faith.

A relic holder/ container

Once we'd awkwardly escaped this scene, we headed over to City Hall and got an audio tour.  I took lots of pictures.... but honestly I don't remember any of it because I had to go to the bathroom so bad.  One thing that really stinks about Europe is that they have literally zero water fountains and hardly any bathrooms, and if they do, half the time you have to pay a euro to use them!  Excuse me, I'm a runner, I'll just go find a tree thank you.

Inside City Hall

Where... important stuff takes place...

Hey!  Who's that hottie standing outside of City Hall??

...

HA.

Of course, in between doing all of this, I got four Belgian truffles, Belgian hot chocolate, a Belgian waffle (oh my gosh), and the world renown frites, or fries (which honestly, I don't understand what the big deal is.  They taste pretty much like American fries.  It's the ketchup that's weird.  If you ever go to Belgium, stick with the waffles and chocolate).

Chillin' in Belgium.  I swear that's an apple in my pocket, not some weird growth.

Knit-bombing Bruges!

A great day overall.

Saturday Oct. 6th we went to Ghent to visit the Duke's castle and we saw the painting by the Van Eyck brothers' called Adoration of the Lamb.  I cannot express how detailed and ornate the mantel piece was, it was unbelievable how someone could paint that.  These panels are so important/famous/popular  that several of the panels have been stolen numerous times (once by the Nazis, ugh.) and one hasn't ever been recovered.  Quite the mystery.  If you're familiar with this painting, I guess there's some controversy over whether the top central figure is Christ or God.  I'll add my two cents:  I think it's God because Christ is already portrayed in the bottom scene as the lamb, the dove (or spirit of God) is painted above him, so it would only make sense to add God in there.  They say that John the Baptist (on the right) always points his finger to Christ, but Christ came to point the way to Heavenly Father, so technically...  Anyways, that's what I think.

Thank you Wikipedia!  Yeah, the nudity.  Beyond used to it by now.

Later we went to the Gravensteen castle with the weirdest audio guide I've ever had.  It was like a movie/soap opera where people acted out all the love drama of Count Philip of Alsace.  It was cool, though, seeing such a medieval castle and all the awful torture equipment they had.  Like seriously, so glad I don't live back then (ugghhh, thumb screws...).

Gravensteen Castle

View of the city scape from the top of the castle

Madame Guillotine introduced equality in executions.

Probably snuck another waffle in there somewhere.  YOLO!

From Belgium we traveled Leiden, the Netherlands!  Okay, so I've loved every where we've been, but I feel like the countries just keep getting better and better!  Nederlands (as the Dutch call it) is just so open and clean- I loved the place where we stayed.  There is literally a separate street lane for bikes, mopeds, and runners, and there's running paths everywhere!  Heaven!  I love it so much, but at the same time, it's terrifying to cross the street because even more than watching out for cars, you have to watch out for the bikes (death by bike- totes embarr).  And oooh the bikes!  There are so many types!  Literally everybody rides bikes.  It's not uncommon at all to see a guy riding a bike with his girlfriend just sitting on this platform behind him or a woman riding along with a wheelbarrow full of kids attached to the front!  It's crazy, and yet so clever!

Scaaaaaary!

First world problems..

The Netherlands has some really cool, modern and yet simple architecture

Netherlands windmill

One of the beautiful government buildings in the Netherlands

Okay, so at this point in our trip, we all logged onto the internet and were slammed with hundreds of statuses about the change in mission age.  WHAT A SHOCK!!  My roommate and I just looked at each other and started tearing up.  So many emotions!  Surprise, excitement, fear, love, anticipation, bewilderment... I couldn't handle it.  So I did what I always do when confronted with crazy situations.  I ran.  And I ran.  And I ran.  Thirteen miles!  The Netherlands is just so beautiful.  The stars came out, and running through those pastures, past the windmills, and across the canals, I was reminded of how much Heavenly Father loves each of us, and even though He's got a universe-wide agenda on His mind,  He's still mindful of me and my silly little struggles and fears of inadequacy.  And I was comforted.  I know Heavenly Father loves me and has a plan for me, and I'm excited to fulfill it!

The next day was great, just great.  We first visited Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.  So inspiring.

"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart."

-Anne Frank

Anne Frank Memorial 

                                               

 Outside of the building where the Franks and others hid

I'm reading two books right now- Sarah's Key and The Hiding Place- both of which I would highly recommend if you're interested in the Holocaust.  I can't imagine how an atrocity like this took place, but at the same time, after visiting Omaha beach and kneeling down at the graves of those brave soldiers who gave up their lives to fight Hitler's regime, I'm grateful for a Heavenly Father who allows us agency, but who will never forsake us.  Corrie ten Boom, Nazi camp survivor and author of The Hiding Place said, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still" and "Only heaven will reveal the top side of God's tapestry".

These "I amsterdam" things are everywhere!

After this we visited two art museums- Van Gogh's exhibit at The Hermitage and the Rijksmuseum.  I've never been a huge art lover, but on this trip, I think I've been converted.  I love Monet's fascination with nature, Rembrandt's skill in portraying the different shades of light, and Vermeer... well he's just Vermeer and I love him.  Impressionism- the rise and effects of it- is really a fascinating subject.

Anyways, today we did some pretty awesome stuff again (whatever), but I'll blog about it another day because I'm exhausted.

Love and miss everyone!

Tot ziens!

P.S.  This stinkin blog post took me stinkin 6 hours.  You gotta be kiddin' me!